Could a Adelaide, Carlton and Melbourne three-way mega trade be a win-win-win?
JAKE Stringer, Bryce Gibbs and Jake Lever are among the players who could be on the move. Trade guru JON RALPH answered your questions. CHAT RECAP
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CARLTON was well within its rights to baulk on Adelaide’s Bryce Gibbs request last year given their own midfield issues.
They had just endured a year where Gibbs and Patrick Cripps were their only frontline midfielders with Marc Murphy sidelined with injury.
They knew getting rid of Gibbs for unders would have made them feel cheap and left a gaping midfield hole that turned 2017 into an on-field disaster.
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But there comes a time when releasing Gibbs to Adelaide just makes sense.
Especially if that deal effectively gives you three players for one — all of them arguably in the demographic for the Blues next premiership window.
That time is surely now.
What about this for the bare bones of a three-way trade that satisfies Adelaide, Melbourne and Carlton?
Melbourne secures star Crows defender Jake Lever but gives its pick 10 to Carlton and its pick 27 to Adelaide.
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Adelaide gives Lever to Melbourne, aware it can’t make him stay.
And Carlton gives up Gibbs to Adelaide.
Why would Carlton give up 28-year-old Gibbs for just pick 10?
Because it not only gives Steve Silvagni a valuable pick to work with, it frees salary cap room for free agent Tom Rockliff.
Rockliff is being offered a modest deal from Brisbane, which wants to keep him but don’t want to keep him enough to pay big money.
They know he isn’t a great two-way runner, but his strengths align with all the commodities Carlton needs.
He is a clearance specialist, he tackles like a man possessed, he can go forward and kick goals (16 in 20 games this year) and he has thrown off the ratbag reputation.
Consider these numbers - by Round 8 before his shoulder popped out he was leading the AFL’s clearance stats, with daylight second.
He had 80 clearances, Josh Kennedy 61, Ben Cunnington 60, Patrick Dangerfield 59 and Gary Ablett 58.
And yet he is discounted by critics as a slow one-trick pony when he has had two of his five 15-plus clearance games this year.
Then Carlton can take their No.3 overall pick and swap pick 10 for Devon Smith and Matt Kennedy.
Former pick No.13 Kennedy is a tough 188cm midfielder, Smith adds depth to the midfield and half-forward line and they effectively have three players for one.
Rockliff is only a year younger than Gibbs but the reality of list builds is maybe neither him nor Gibbs will be there when this list is at its peak.
Melbourne will be happy because they have Jake Lever.
And Adelaide will whinge and moan about not getting fair odds for Lever, who they value as two first-round picks.
But the Crows made Geelong pay picks 9, 28 and Dean Gore for Patrick Dangerfield.
So they can hardly sniff at getting Gibbs and 27 for Lever.
There are many steak knives elements or late pick swaps that could sweeten the deal for aggrieved parties.
But the only thing that will compensate Adelaide fans for losing Lever is if Gibbs arrives in the next breath.
And for Carlton fans upset about losing a beloved figure, finding an instant replacement as well as two young GWS players would surely satisfy them.
Originally published as Could a Adelaide, Carlton and Melbourne three-way mega trade be a win-win-win?
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